Rawalpindi Shifts 400+ Trees for Peshawar Road Underpasses Construction
Authorities have relocated over 400 trees and 715 shrubs along Peshawar Road to make way for the construction of three underpasses, part of an Rs 8 billion traffic improvement project.
The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) confirmed that 469 trees and 715 shrubs were carefully shifted from the Qasim Market–Chairing Cross stretch and replanted in extended green belts and other suitable sites along the route, including from Lane 5 to Motorway Chowk and onward to Chur Chowk.
While no healthy trees were cut, 74 dead trees were removed, and following recommendations from the Punjab Environment Protection Agency, the RCB has pledged to plant ten new trees for each dead one, reinforcing its commitment to replenishing greenery in the city.
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The underpass work, integral to traffic decongestion on one of the city’s busiest roads, will enter the main construction phase after utility service relocation, including the shifting of electricity pylons by Iesco, which is nearing completion. Once underway, officials estimate the underpass structures will be completed within 70 days.
The project is expected to improve traffic flow on one of Rawalpindi’s busiest corridors while ensuring sustainable environmental safeguards.
Utility relocation work, including shifting electricity pylons by Iesco, is nearing completion, allowing the construction phase to begin soon after Eid ul-Fitr.
The initiative aligns with broader national efforts to expand green cover, such as tree plantation drives under the Upscaling Green Pakistan Programme, which targets millions of new saplings across the country this year.